Mystic Mind
by DragonShadow
Summary: A magician moves into Townsville and piques Buttercups interest, but what is his true motive in coming to Townsville?
1. Part 1

Mystic Mind  
  
  
The seat leaned back as the Powerpuff Girl stared up at the ceiling, her eyes darting around the room nervously. Her arms were shaking as the sweat crept down her forehead, the bright light directly overhead nearly blinding her with its intensity. She bit her lower lip nervously, looking around for any sign of escape, but she couldn't see anything through her haze of fear and desperation. The material of the chair felt eerily warm to her bare skin like a monster waiting to close its jaws.  
  
Her breath quickened, her heart threatening to pound right out of her chest under the harsh glare of the light. She squeezed her eyes shut, sensing the instrument coming toward her. She waited with her arms tensed, waiting in a terrible silence she would have given anything to break. When she felt the prick in her arm she let out a piercing scream, the sound traveling through the operation area to the sound of breaking glass.  
  
Finally the pinch ended and the light moved, revealing the doctor looking down at her through broken glasses. "There, that wasn't so tough now was it?" The doctor rubbed his ear as he helped Bubbles sit up in the seat. She whimpered and held her arm where the needle had gone in. The doctor carefully put a Band-Aid over the small pinprick and gave her a few moments to get the rest of her clothes back on. He then led her out into the lobby where the Professor and her sisters were waiting. Blossom and Buttercup already had Band-Aids on their arms and grumpy looks on their faces, having gone before her.  
  
"Oh you're done, how is she?" The Professor stood up to greet them.  
  
The doctor looked over at the nurse, still rubbing his deafened ears after Bubbles' scream. "I don't think this is the time to be looking at women Professor. Anyway, Bubbles is a perfectly healthy little girl and the vaccination worked just fine." He told them with a smile while Bubbles floated over to her sisters grumpily.  
  
"Well thanks a lot Doctor, I've been meaning to get the girls checked out for some time just in case there were any complications as they grew up. It was really great of you to do them all in one day." The Professor said gratefully.  
  
"I'm sorry, what?" The Doctor rubbed at his ear irritably.  
  
"I said, THANK YOU!" Professor Utonium shouted.  
  
"Well no need to shout is there." The doctor straightened his coat and turned to head into the back again. The Professor turned to the girls with a wry smirk on his face, jerking his head toward the door and turning to leave. The girls floated after them, Buttercup and Blossom grumbling while Bubbles rubbed her Band-Aid.  
  
"That stank. I hope we never have to get another checkup." Buttercup grumped.  
  
"It was for our own good Buttercup, if there was something wrong we would have to find it early BEFORE it became a more serious complication." Blossom reminded her, having practically memorized what the Professor told them on the way to the hospital.  
  
"I hate needles..." Bubbles pouted and rubbed her Band-Aid as they all started climbing into the car while the Professor held the door open.  
  
"The whole thing's stupid anyway, the Professor's smarter than any doctor, why couldn't he do it?" Buttercup demanded.  
  
"Because I'm a geneticist not a physician. I don't know all of the possible complications that could sprout up, especially as far as you girls are concerned." The Professor closed the back door and climbed into the drivers seat while the girls buckled themselves in.  
  
"Well it still stank!" Buttercup announced, sinking back into her seat in a huff with her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"My arm hurts..." Bubbles moaned pathetically.  
  
The Professor chuckled and looked at them through the rear view mirror. "Well since you were all so good and patient at the doctors office I have a special treat for you tonight." The girls all perked up instantly at this.  
  
"Really!? Where are we going!?" Blossom asked.  
  
"Are we going to the zoo!?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Wrestling match!" Buttercup yelled eagerly. The Professor chuckled and shook his head.  
  
"You'll see when we get there girls." He told them. The girls spent the rest of the car trip chattering to each other in the back seat in excited tones. Finally they pulled into the parking lot of the old theater where Al Lusion had once performed a long time ago. Well it was the same lot, the building had been completely rebuilt.  
  
"What are we doing here?" Blossom asked.  
  
"Tonight is opening night after the renovation, including a new magician. I thought you girls might like to see it." The Professor told them. The girls all screamed in joy at once, leaping out of the car the second he had their door open.  
  
"Come on come on!" They chanted, pulling the Professor behind them as they streaked into the building. The front lobby was packed with people eager to see the first performance to happen there in years.  
  
The Professor walked up to the man behind the counter. "Four please." The girls waited eagerly, bouncing up and down while he gathered the tickets before they picked him up and carried him into the theater. They found four seats near the back, setting the Professor down on the far right while they sat beside him in the order of Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup.  
  
"When is it gonna start!?" Bubbles asked, hopping up and down on her seat eagerly.  
  
"Just a minute Bubbles, they have to wait for everyone else to find their seats." The Professor replied, patting her head. She sat down, but didn't sit still, bouncing on her butt in anticipation.  
  
Finally the audience had filed in the theater and the stage lit up, revealing a tall thin looking man in the usual magicians garb including a very tall top hat. He took off his hat and bowed deeply.  
  
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to my premier performance. I am Del Lirious, come straight from Citiesville. It's quite an honor to perform for such a civilized looking bunch." He said, standing up and looking over the crowd slowly. Bubbles could have sworn his eyes lingered on them for just an instant, but she didn't say anything. "Such civilized people that I would like to call for a volunteer."  
  
Several dozen hands shot up in the audience, but he didn't pay any attention to them. He pointed up past the audience to a seat in the back row. "You there, why don't you come down here?" Bubbles looked around, thinking he was pointing at her until she saw a little boy who had been sitting beside her heading down the isle to the stage. The rest of the audience applauded politely.  
  
"Now sir we have not met before have we?" The man asked.  
  
"No." The boy replied, blushing as he shot a glance out at the audience.  
  
"Good now could you inspect this for me?" The magician pulled out a small white egg from his cape, handing it to the boy. "It's just a normal egg, as brittle and white as any other, correct?"  
  
"Yes sir..." The boy replied nervously. The magician took the egg and threw it in the air, catching it.  
  
"Keep your eye on it." He moved so that the boy was between him and the audience, doing a little juggling act with the egg. He threw it in the air, caught it behind his back and threw it over the boys head to catch it again. The boy laughed as he watch, the rest of the audience joining in. "Watch closely." He bent over and threw the egg behind his back, but the one he caught was striped in the different colors of the rainbow.  
  
The boy stared with wide eyes as the audience burst into applause. Bubbles clapped as hard as she could without hurting herself, laughing joyously while Buttercup jumped up and down, demanding to know how it was done. Blossom just smiled and watched calmly.  
  
"Here you go." The magician handed the boy the egg and sent him back to his seat. "I'd ask for another volunteer, but this next one, is a little dangerous." He grabbed a cloth from a table and yanked it off, revealing that half a dozen sharp steak knives lay on top of it. "Remember kids, do not try this at home without first taking out life insurance." A few audience members laughed as he picked up the knives, three in each hand.  
  
He started juggling the six knives, much to the enjoyment of the Powerpuff Girls and the Professor. He kept it up for thirty seconds before one by one he started flinging them out toward the audience. It changed so fast the Powerpuff Girls barely had time to realize what had happened before all six knives were arcing toward the audience members.  
  
Screams erupted as the blades whirred through the air, but they lifted upward before they hit their apparent targets, flying above the audiences heads. They flew up through the air on their own, plunging into the ceiling in a perfect circular pattern. The audience let out a collective sigh of relief, a few having the presence of mind to give a weak applause.  
  
"That was scary..." Bubbles mumbled.  
  
"Are you kidding? That was great! Scared everyone!" Buttercup yelled, clapping louder than anyone else in the theater.  
  
"A little too much..." Blossom replied. Bubbles couldn't help but agree.  
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After the show the audience was piling out while the Powerpuff Girls floated backstage with The Professor following. They were allowed pretty much anywhere they wanted to go in the city, so the security didn't even try to stop them. They found the magician in his dressing room. He turned around when he heard them enter.  
  
"Well if it isn't Townsville's trio of tiny titans, I'm honored to see you here." He gave them a dashing smile and a nod of his head.  
  
"Mr. Lirious, we need to talk to you about your performance..." Blossom began, but Buttercup jumped in front of her.  
  
"It was GREAT! You had everybody so scared, I think Bubbles actually wet herself!" Buttercup laughed. Bubbles looked angry, but Buttercup continued before she could speak. "The knife trick was just great! We need more magicians like you! You know, keep SOME people on their toes." She shot a glance at Blossom, but again didn't give her time to respond. "And the fire trick, I don't know HOW you did that!"  
  
Finally Blossom managed to shove Buttercup out of the way to get to the magician. "I just think maybe your tricks are a little bit dangerous. Those knives could have hurt someone and the fire could have easily gotten on someone's seat." Blossom reasoned.  
  
"Oh come on Blossom, you're just upset because you fell for it along with everyone else!" Buttercup retorted. Del Lirious just chuckled and put one arm around each girl, pulling them close.  
  
"Now come on, you don't think I would actually put my audience in any danger do you Blossom?" He reasoned.  
  
"I guess not..." Blossom admitted.  
  
"We have everything that happens planned down to the millisecond. There is absolutely no danger at all to anybody in the audience." Blossom looked up at him still distrusting, but there wasn't much she could do. "I promise... in fact, how would you girls like to take a look around and see how everything's done?" He asked.  
  
"Really!?" Buttercup's eyes lit up instantly. "Can we stay here for a little while Professor? Please!"  
  
"I don't know, we still have to get home to dinner." The Professor mused.  
  
"Go without me and I'll meet you there when I'm done." Buttercup replied logically. Blossom still looked distrusting of Del Lirious and Bubbles just looked solemn, but Professor Utonium could see how excited Buttercup was. It wasn't often she showed such interested in much of anything other than fighting. It would be good for her to have another hobby.  
  
"Okay, you can stay here for another thirty minutes, but then you come straight home." He told her sternly.  
  
"Yes! Thank you Professor!" Buttercup streaked up and hugged him tightly. He chuckled and hugged her back before she floated down to the ground again.  
  
"Come on Bubbles, Blossom, let's go home and start dinner." The Professor told the other girls, looking down at Buttercup. "Remember, thirty minutes." He told her sternly.  
  
"Yeah yeah." Buttercup turned back to Del Lirious excitedly. "Can we go right now?" The magician chuckled and put one hand on her head.  
  
"Of course, come on." He turned and led her back through the hallways out onto the stage where the props were already set up again for the next nights show. She streaked up to the table and looked around suspiciously, looking for wires or magnets of some kind. She didn't feel any though, it felt like a normal table with a cloth over it.  
  
"How do they fly?" She asked.  
  
"It's my little secret." He whispered conspiratorially in her ear, pulling the blanket off the table to reveal the knives. "You see, there is no illusion." He raises his hand, and the knives floated up off the table of their own accord, floating through the air over the seats.  
  
"No illusion?" Buttercup asked, staring at them in surprise. "You mean... you can really move things with your mind?"  
  
"Exactly." The magician replied, closing his fingers as the knives came together in a circle, flying back toward them. They stopped just before they hit him, floating slowly back to the table and settling down where they had been moments before. "And I think, you can do it too... with proper training." He told her softly.  
  
"Me? All I can do is punch stuff and fly... I can't do anything cool like that." Buttercup replied, picking up one knife and examining it appreciatively.  
  
"I think you can." He knelt down beside her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "Haven't you ever done anything with just your mind that you couldn't quite explain? Anything like... telepathy?" Buttercups mind flashed back to their encounter with the SandMan, with the girls entering his dream. "Spontaneous bursts of energy when you're all built up?" Her mind flashed back to Bubbles in Mojo's costume, frying both her and Blossom without even touching them. "Accidental effects of hyperactive energy?" Her mind flashed to the time the girls flew straight through time during their race.  
  
"I... I guess..." Buttercup replied, staring at him sullenly.  
  
"Don't you want to learn how to harness that power? You could become much more than you are now." He told her, staring into her eyes.  
  
"Could you teach me?" Buttercup asked softly.  
  
"Of course, it would be my pleasure." He held one hand out, smiling kindly. Buttercup took it without hesitation in a firm handshake. Del Lirious smiled. "Well then, we can begin later tonight after your sisters and father are asleep." Buttercup nodded. "Oh, and don't tell them. This is our little secret... for now."  
  
"Okay... well I should go." Buttercup took off from the ground and floated toward the exit. Stopping to look back at him. "Later!" She streaked out the door toward her house where the others were busy making dinner.  
  
When she got home she found Blossom and Bubbles already sitting down to dinner, with the Professor just bringing her own plate to the table. The others looked over at her as she entered.  
  
"Well? Did you find out how they're done?" Blossom asked curiously. Buttercup smiled and took her seat.  
  
"Yeah, it was really interesting." She replied, digging into her food without another word. She could feel the others exchanging a curious glance, but she didn't pay too much attention. They didn't like the show anyway, they wouldn't want to know how it was done.  
  
"I just don't want to have to go flying to the rescue when one of those tricks goes wrong." Blossom grumped. Bubbles nodded in agreement.  
  
"Now Blossom we should give him he benefit of the doubt, I don't think he would intentionally put his audience in any danger." The Professor told her kindly. Buttercup decided not to answer, her mind was already on the night ahead of her. She could hardly wait to start her training.  
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That night Buttercup waited until she felt her sisters' breath slow to a steady sleeping rhythm before getting up and getting dressed again. She streaked out the window and flew back to the theater as fast as she could. When she went inside she found the auditorium empty. She flew up to the stage, but she still couldn't see anyone.  
  
"Hello?" She called softly. She whirled when a puff of smoke erupted behind her, the thin form of Del Lirious coming up out of the floor behind her. She clapped appreciatively while he took a small bow.  
  
"Glad you enjoyed it, now, shall we begin?" He smiled at her and took the blanket off the same table from before, gesturing to the knives.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" Buttercup asked confusedly.  
  
"Reach deep inside yourself, find the power born from the Chemical-X inside your body. You can use that to move whatever you want." He walked behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, watching her staring at the knives. She stared hard, looking inside herself for any hint of power. She could feel something bubbling up, but she wasn't sure what to do with it. She was shaking from the strain of trying to hold it where it was.  
  
"Focus on the knives, and sent it outward." He told her. She gave a small grunt and gave a push to the table. The wood splintered apart with a thunderous crack as it flew through the air into the audience seating, the knives flying free to plunge into several seats while the wood rained down over the theater. Del Lirious gave a whistle of appreciation as he watched the wood come down.  
  
"Not bad Buttercup, but you need to learn a little more control." He smiled down at her and patted her head. "But then, that's why you're here. We'll have you doing whatever you wish in no time, I promise." Buttercup smiled and turned back to the theater. This was looking more promising every second, a little while longer and she could indeed do it.  
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The sun shone down on the playground at recess as it always did several days later, finding the Powerpuff Girls each going about their own business. Bubbles was busy swinging on the swing set with Robin and Mike while Blossom sat on one of the many benches reading a book with Elmer. Buttercup was playing a small game of Volleyball with Mitch using the little white lines Bubbles had cheerfully drawn on the ground for them.  
  
"I got it!" Mitch yelled, diving for the ball before it could get past him. He hit it back fast, too fast for Buttercup to catch without using her powers. Still she dove for it, but she was far too late. Suddenly the ball went flying straight for Mitches head of its own volition. "WHOA!" Mitch dove out of the way before it could decapitate him, sending it flying straight behind him.  
  
"Blossom, heads up!" Buttercup yelled. Blossom looked up just before it slammed into her face, sending her flying back through the playground to slam hard into the pavement, sliding a good twenty feet before she skidded to a stop. "Blossom!" Buttercup ran to her side in a green flash of light, lifting her head up. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Ugh..." Blossom rubbed her head, closing one eye. "Yeah I'll be fine... you should be more careful Buttercup..." Blossom chided her.  
  
"But she didn't even touch it, I saw her..." Mitch began, but Buttercup quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Blossom stared up at her curiously.  
  
"Yeah I'm really sorry Blossom, I'll be more careful from now on I promise. Can I talk to you Mitch?" Buttercup dragged a very confused Mitch to the side of the school for a private talk. "Don't tell anybody about what happened okay? It would mean a lot to me."  
  
"Why not? But you didn't touch the ball it did it on its own." Mitch complained.  
  
"I know, but it's something the other girls don't need to know about yet." Buttercup replied. "I'm still kind of learning how to use it... and when I get better I can teach them. It was an accident, and I won't let it happen again, so please don't say anything." She begged.  
  
"Well..." Mitch thought for a minute, staring at her. "Eh whatever, I don't really care anyway." He replied, shrugging it off.  
  
"Thanks, now come on, I still have to kick your butt." Buttercup went back to the area where they'd been playing the game, followed by Mitch. She would have to try to be more careful, someone could really get hurt if it happened again. She was just lucky it was Blossom who got it or someone could have REALLY gotten hurt...  
  
Before they could resume their game however Miss Keane came outside. "Okay children recess time is over. It's time to come back inside and learn a little more." Buttercup grumbled to herself and floated inside with the rest of the class, taking her seat with Blossom and Bubbles without complaint. The class waited silently for Miss Keane to begin their new lesson.  
  
"Okay class, today we'll be studying Twiggy." She took the Hamster cage out from behind her desk and put it on top. The little rodent just stared at them all with a blank gaze. "Now, who can tell me what Hamsters eat?" She asked. Three hands shot up, including Blossoms. She looked around at the rest of the class disapprovingly. "ONLY Twiggy's weekend caretakers know? Haven't the rest of you been paying attention?" The rest of the class just stared blankly.  
  
She sighed and sat in her seat behind the glass. "Okay, pop quiz Buttercup, what do Hamsters eat?" She asked, staring at the brunette Powerpuff Girl.  
  
"Me?" Buttercup suddenly snapped back to attention, looking around. She gulped and stared at Twiggy's cage. "They uh... eat... Hamster... pellets?" She asked with a nervous smile.  
  
"What do they NATURALLY eat Buttercup." Miss Keane corrected herself.  
  
"Oh... uh..." Buttercup scratched the back of her head, staring at the little rodent in the cage. Suddenly the glass shattered outward, sprinkling Miss Keane with shards of broken glass and sending Twiggy flying back against the blackboard.  
  
"Miss Keane!" All three girls streaked over to help lift her back up off the ground, picking glass out of her hair and clothing. She had a few scratches, but otherwise seemed okay enough.  
  
"Ugh... girls... what... what was that?" Miss Keane asked, staring at the shattered cage in front of her with a look of surprised amazement. Blossom and Bubbles exchanged a clueless glance while Buttercup picked up a piece of glass, studying it. As the concentrated a small crack spread through it, almost looking like a spider web against the smooth glass.  
  
"Maybe it's the air pressure or something." Blossom mused. Bubbles let out a worried shriek and grabbed Twiggy, who wasn't moving. Buttercup looked back at the rest of the class for a moment, noticing a suspicious look on Mitch's face.  
  
"Twiggy's hurt!" She cradled the rodent in her arms like a baby, sobbing and crying frantically. The other kids all ran up to see what the commotion was about while Miss Keane struggled to regain control. Buttercup slipped out through the crowd, streaking through the door to land on top of the building. She looked down at her hands.  
  
"Come on Buttercup get a grip." She told herself, balling her hands into fists. "No more breaking things or sending them flying. Self-control, that's what he said. I can do that. Just don't let anything else happen." She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Suddenly she wasn't so sure this training was a goods idea. Then she shook her head. When she learned to control it, it wouldn't be a problem. It was just a matter of time.  
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After the class finally settled down and school let out the girls walked outside with the rest of the children. Twiggy was fine as it turned out, just in utter shock. A few kids stuck around to play in the playground a little longer, including a somewhat confused looking Mitch Mitchelson. Buttercup didn't quite trust the look on his face, so she too stopped before they left the playground.  
  
"I'll catch up with you girls later, I want to stick around for a bit." Buttercup told her sisters. They looked at her strangely. Normally she couldn't wait to get home and jump in the training simulator.  
  
"Any reason in particular?" Blossom asked.  
  
"I just want to hang out with my friends, is that wrong?" Buttercup asked. Wrong answer obviously, Blossom looked more suspicious than ever. She turned to face her squarely, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"I wasn't going to mention this until we got home, but WHERE did you go when poor Twiggy was hurt?" Blossom demanded. Buttercup silently cursed herself, she thought she'd snuck out without anyone seeing her. "And WHAT was Mitch talking about earlier when the ball hit me?"  
  
"Nothing! Okay? How am I supposed to have anything to do with any of that? You know we can't do stuff like that." Buttercup retorted sharply.  
  
"Unless you finally got your own power, right Bubbles?" Blossom asked. Buttercup glared at her balefully. Blossom knew Buttercup was bitter about not having her own individual power yet. Blossom's Ice Breath and Bubbles' Linguistic abilities were theirs alone, but Buttercup didn't have anything of her own. Just when she thought her powers matched theirs, they got a new one. She was always a step behind.  
  
"Trust me, Blossom." Buttercup spat venomously. Blossom just smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "If I had a new power, you'd be the FIRST to know." The meaning behind her sharp tone was perfectly clear to all of them. Bubbles gasped and put her hands over her mouth, looking at Blossom.  
  
"It's a good thing that's not likely to happen." Blossom commented smoothly, not caring about the threat just moments before. "Come on Bubbles, she'll tell us what's going on soon or we're telling the Professor." Blossom stares back at Buttercup for another moment before she turned and streaked off into the sky, Bubbles following soon after.  
  
Buttercup growled under her breath, looking down so she wouldn't accidentally shoot them with her eye lasers. She gasped when she saw the pavement beneath her feet cracking apart. She quickly calmed herself down, closing her eyes. She'd have to be more careful.  
  
She whirled to find Mitch, seeing him across the playground talking to Miss Keane. Buttercup growled when she saw this, streaking over to a bush thirty feet away from them to hide. Thankfully her hyper-sensitive hearing could pick up their conversation easily even from this distance.  
  
"I'm telling you Miss Keane, I think there's something wrong with her." Mitch complained, his tone unusually hushed for the school bully. Buttercup growled again, snapping a branch off the bush she was hiding in. That little tattle-tale...  
  
"Mitch, are you sure?" Miss Keane asked worriedly. "I know she's been acting strange lately but... well maybe I should give the Professor a call. Just to make sure." Mitch nodded and looked around nervously, probably looking for her. Buttercup sneered.  
  
"Okay... see you tomorrow Miss K..." He stopped suddenly, his eyes going wide as he was dragged wildly across the blacktop. He screamed in a panic as it tore through the back of his shirt, scraping his back mercilessly. Buttercup's hand had turned white from her grip on the plant, threatening to tear their roots right up.  
  
"Mitch!" Miss Keane chased after him, but he was moving way too fast to catch. Mitch was in tears by the time he slammed into the wall of the school, screaming in pain as his torn up back made contact. Finally Buttercup snapped back to herself and blinked, letting Mitch fall to the ground, sobbing in pain. "Mitch are you okay? What happened!?" Miss Keane ran up to check on his worriedly.  
  
"My b... back..." Mitch gasped out between sobs.  
  
"Come on, it'll be okay." Miss Keane picked him up and carried him inside the building, leaving Buttercup staring at the dent in the wall where Mitch had connected. She blinked, looking down at her hands. She had done that... she sent Mitch up against the wall without ever touching him. It had been easy... she hadn't even had to think... and nobody knew it was her. It was so easy...  
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That night Buttercup fled from the house again, this time taking with her all her clothing and personal belongings. She streaked into the theater where they usually met, landing on the stage and dropping her large briefcases to the ground with a loud boom. Del Lirious looked up at her from the audience seating, where he had been waiting patiently.  
  
"Well?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Teach me more." Buttercup demanded, her mind and eyes set on him. She'd tasted what she could do just after a few nights... what could she do after several more days full of training? She was too impatient to wait while she trained just in the nights... she'd have to stay here for a while. She didn't care right now, she'd do anything it took. She would show her sisters a real power.  
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Blossom stirred with a soft moan the next morning, mumbling in her sleep and rolling over onto her back, pulling the blanket with her. Bubbles shivered beside her and yanked it back, pulling her over on top of her sister. They both yelped in surprise, staring at each other.  
  
"Don't hog the blanket." Blossom chided her, rubbing her eyes and sitting up in bed. Bubbles sighed and sat up, yawning and stretching her arms out to the sides.  
  
"Sorry sorry..." Bubbles grumbled sleepily. Blossom turned around to wake up Buttercup, only to find her side of the bed empty. Blossom stared down at it for a moment, then shrugged.  
  
"Guess she's already downstairs." Blossom figured. So she and Bubbles got dressed for the day, then floated downstairs in their typical dresses. Blossom looked around, but couldn't see Buttercup anywhere. In a few moments though the Professor came out of the kitchen with four plates of eggs and grits with bacon stacked to one side of the plates.  
  
"Have you seen Buttercup Professor?" Blossom asked worriedly. After yesterday she was afraid of what her brash sister might have done. What if she'd run away... because of Blossom?  
  
"No, isn't she upstairs?" The Professor replied. Blossom and Bubbles shook their heads.  
  
"She was there last night but she was gone this morning." Blossom told him.  
  
"That's strange... well maybe she had to go save the day and just hasn't finished yet." The Professor looked doubtful, but he obviously didn't want to worry Blossom and Bubbles. "I'm sure she's just fine. Now go ahead and sit down to breakfast while I go try something." He set three of the plates on the table and carried the final plate down into his basement laboratory with him.  
  
Blossom ignored her plate, flying downstairs after him. "What are you doing?" She asked. Bubbles streaked up behind her.  
  
"I'm setting the PKE meter here to detect your girls specific power signatures. This is how I keep track of you when you're fighting monsters. See, here, this pink and blue dot is you two." He gestured to a pale green screen with a blueprint of Townsville displayed on it. Indeed, two dots were flashing dimly in one of the buildings. "When any of you uses your powers, this machine can pick up on it, and tell me exactly where you girls are."  
  
"Whoa." Blossom stared at the screen, her fears only growing. "But I don't see Buttercup, does that mean she's..." She trailed off.  
  
"It only means she's not using her powers, at least not within range of this machine. See, land and see what happens." The Professor suggested. Blossom and Bubbles landed on the ground, watching their dots vanish from the pale green screen.  
  
"So if she flies anywhere in Towsville, we'll be able to see it here and find her." Blossom realized, her heart suddenly growing lighter. "But what if she... doesn't fly Professor?" She asked, the unspoken part of the question hanging in the air. What if she COULDN'T fly?  
  
"Then we'll look for her the old fashioned way... after school." The Professor looked down at them meaningfully. They both groaned, being more eager to find their sister than sit through a lesson.  
  
Suddenly a green flash drew their attention, covering the entire screen in a dark green hue. They had to cover their eyes against its intensity until it finally died down, leaving the screen as it had been before. They all stared at the screen, dumbstruck.  
  
"Professor what... was that?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"I don't know... it was Buttercups power signature but... over a thousand times more powerful." The Professor replied. Finally he shook his head and smiled down at them disarmingly. "I'm sure it was just a glitch in the system... why don't you girls go to school while I work on fixing this machine and getting a more accurate position on her?"  
  
"Okay Professor." Blossom and Bubbles spoke in unison as they floated upstairs to get ready for school. They weren't very eager to get to class, but what else could they do? They would find Buttercup soon enough... they were sure of it.  
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A week later with still no sign of Buttercup except the occasional flash of the PKE meter, Blossom and Bubbles were frantically trying to help the Professor increase its range of effect and its accuracy. Mostly they fetched tools or lifted the machine when the Professor needed under it, but they were happy to help any way they could. The green flash pulsed across the screen again, this time looking like it had an actual identifiable source.  
  
"Quick girls, turn the dial there up all the way!" The Professor told them climbing out from under the machine. Bubbles set it down while Blossom streaked over to turn the knob. The green flash got a little smaller, letting them see the edges of the city, but they still couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.  
  
"Let's see here..." The Professor started messing with the dials, but suddenly the signature vanished as quickly as it had come. He punched the monitor in frustration, his two remaining daughters exchanging a disappointed glance. When he realized he looked back at them and gave them a small smile. "It's okay, I'll get it working in no time."  
  
"I hope so, I miss her." Bubbles told him seriously. Blossom smiled and took her hand gently.  
  
"I miss her too, but don't worry, the Professor won't let us down." She told her. This seemed to satisfy Bubbles, who smiled back and nodded, turning to look at the Professor.  
  
Suddenly it seemed like all the weight in the world bore down on Professor Utoniums shoulders. He wasn't at all sure he could do it, he'd already boosted the accuracy and buffers on the meter far beyond their intended specs. It might be impossible to do any more... but he couldn't let his girls down. He had to try... no matter what.  
  
So he set his mouth in a grim line and went back to work, turning knobs and fiddling with wires. In a minute the flash came back, brighter than ever. The machine started humming loudly, the processor inside sending up sparks.  
  
"It's gonna blow!" The Professor exclaimed. Before he knew what was happening Blossom and Bubbles had grabbed him and streaked back to the other side of the lab. The fireball that had been the PKE meter came just inches from consuming him during their flight. The thunderous explosion coupled with the smell of smoke and scorched metal almost seemed to be taunting them. They'd just lost their last hope of finding Buttercup... what now? 


	2. Part 2

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Buttercup stood before the rubble of a small building. She hadn't even moved, a simple thought and the entire building had imploded in on itself easily. The excitement surged through her mind like a lightning strike. So much power... how come she'd never been able to feel it before? It was like she had the power to shape the world if she wanted to. Anything she wanted.  
  
Del Lirious walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "You're getting a lot stronger, but you still need more control." His hand squeezed her shoulder, rubbing it lightly.  
  
"More..." Buttercup demanded. Del Lirious chuckled and ruffled her hair companionably.  
  
"Soon enough, Buttercup." He told her. She looked back at the building, obviously unsure of something. "Is something the matter?" He asked her, looking down at her.  
  
"Why haven't I felt this power before?" Buttercup asked, looking down at her hands. "All this time and I've never felt anything like this..." She mused softly.  
  
"You've been holding yourself back to keep yourself to your sisters' ideals." Del Lirious told her, leaning down to whisper into her ear. "But you're so much greater than either of them. You can be so much more." He massaged her shoulders roughly. "So much better."  
  
Buttercup just stared at the ruins of the building in front of her, her eyes narrowing. Something in her heart was doubtful... but something in her mind took hold. A seed of something she couldn't identify. Her sisters kept her from feeling this power... this feeling of control like she'd never experienced before. Now, after having such power, she never wanted to go back to what she was. She would never be what she had been. She'd stay this way... no matter what she had to do.  
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Weeks went by with still no sign of Buttercup anywhere. They searched up to ten hours every day, covering every inch of Townsville with their X-Ray vision, but never found any trace. Things were getting frantic, and all three remaining members of the Utonium family were suffering from stress and frayed nerves. The Television was constantly tuned to the news channel in the hope that Buttercup would appear on it. The police had yet to find anything either, leaving them all stumped. Where could she have been taken... where would she have gone?  
  
Blossom's nerves were frayed, and her conscience ate away at her from the inside out. She was sure she was the reason Buttercup had left. Being suspicious and then rubbing hers and Bubbles' powers in her face... that was the only reason she could think of for this. Bubbles wasn't doing any better. Her Octi lay in the corner of the bedroom accumulating dust with the rest of her doll collection. She just stared at the TV in a trance, reacting every time she saw a green light.  
  
"Bubbles..." Blossom floated down the stairs early in the morning to find her blonde sister asleep on the couch, still propped up against the back. She floated up and tried to pick her up, but Bubbles woke up and grabbed the couch, pulling herself back down.  
  
"I'm okay..." Bubbles told her, rubbing her eyes and looking back at the TV again. Her eyes looked red and moist, with wet streaks running down her cheeks. Blossom put her hands on her hips, staring down at her childish sister. Finally though she broke down and sat beside her, tears brimming in her own eyes. Her and Bubbles hugged each other tightly, crying into each other's shoulders.  
  
They ignored the doorbell when someone rang it. It rang several more times before the Professor stumbled out of the bedroom in a bathrobe to answer it.  
  
"Good morning Professor." Robin and Mike said in unison from the door. Bubbles and Blossom looked over at them, trying to dry their tears. They were superheroes, they had an image to maintain. They failed miserably though, breaking down even as their friends walked up to the front of the couch.  
  
"Blossom, Bubbles." Robin began as though they had been rehearsing for days. The Powerpuff Girls hadn't gone to school for a week. "We know this is a hard time for you, and we want to help you find Buttercup... we all want to find her." Robin corrected herself.  
  
"So we all worked really hard for our allowances and got enough to give you this... it's not the real Buttercup, but we hope it helps until she comes back." Mike said, pulling out a bouquet of flowers from behind him. It was a group of Buttercups, each looking more beautiful than each of the others. Bubbles took the bouquet, her eyes filling with tears again.  
  
"Thank you!" Bubbles jumped down and wrapped Mike up in a tearful hug. He looked somewhat uncomfortable, though Blossom couldn't tell if it was the close proximity or Bubbles' iron grip that was the source of this. Whatever the cause he was blushing deeply. Blossom climbed down from the couch and looked at Robin seriously.  
  
"Thanks... this means a lot to us." Blossom told her. Robin blushed and nodded shyly.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad it made you feel better." Robin replied. They reached out and hugged each other warmly. Suddenly the Powerpuff Hotline went off from the living room. The Mayor had been instructed to use it only for monster attacks, so that meant there was something the police couldn't handle. Blossom and Bubbles exchanged a quick glance. Off to work... as usual.  
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Buttercup walked along the beach toward the ocean where the monsters head was just beginning to rise out of the water. It was slick and slimy with water running down the ten eyes that framed its head. Its mouth extended all the way around, making it look like a water fountain when it opened its mouth. It loomed up out of the water, eight snakelike arms reaching toward the city.  
  
"Time to see how your training has really progressed. Del Lirious said from the top of the beach. Buttercup looked back at him and nodded. She was wearing a black tuxedo and a black cape with a red inside trim, a typical magicians wardrobe. She turned back to the monster and approached the edge of the water, staring up at it.  
  
She moved her hands together, pushing the power out of the rest of her body and into her head, letting the entire amount of Chemical-X energy pulse through her mind. She closed her eyes, but she could still see perfectly. The monster stomped toward her, the wave churning up and splashing down at her feet in large waves.  
  
She opened her eyes slowly, watching the sand push itself away from her feet as the power gathered around her. Finally she let out a small grunt and focused, letting the power surge toward the hulking monster. It bolted through the air, stopping just short of the monster. Physically it was little more than a heat shimmer, a subtle shifting of light to anyone looking with just their eyes. She waited a moment before she struck.  
  
The surge slammed into the monsters chest, trying to drive it back into the sea. The monster roared angrily at this unseen enemy, pushing back with all its might. The mammoth clash was enough to force the power straight through the monster like a bullet, putting a hole through the main body of the creature. Buttercup concentrated and the power turned around, shooting through its head this time.  
  
The monster roared again, this time in pain, but Buttercup paid it no heed. She refocused quickly, the power surging under the monster to catch it as it fell. She watched as it floated up from the ocean, untouched by her or any other human being for that matter. She smirked in triumph, thrusting one hand upward to send the monster flying straight up through the atmosphere to hurtle somewhere through space.  
  
"Very, very nice." Del Lirious said as he walked up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're about ready. Soon... very soon." He rubbed her shoulder with a slight grin. Buttercup looked up at him, grinning back. Her eyes glowed red with an inner fire that she'd ever known before. A seed sprouting to take over her mind completely. She knew it... and it felt wonderful.  
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Blossom watched in surprise as the monster flew into the air before her and Bubbles even reached the shore. "What on Earth..." They streaked down to the sand, watching the creature vanish into the sky. "What happened?" They both looked around until they spotted two figures further down the beach. Blossom gasped, hardly believing her eyes. "B... Buttercup!" Bubbles whirled, spotting her as well.  
  
"Come on!" Bubbles yelled, streaking toward their lost sister. Blossom was right behind her. "Buttercup!" Bubbles screamed. Their brunette sister turned to watch them, a slight smirk on her face. She barely looked like their sister anymore, the rough and tumble girl replaced with a darker... more intense being.  
  
"Who has special powers now, girls?" She asked as they streaked to a stop right in front of her. They looked past her at the magician, who was grinning evilly. "I don't even need you for this job anymore."  
  
"Buttercup... I'm sorry for what I said." Blossom said. "Just please come home... we want you back!" She grabbed her tough sisters hand, only to have her hands slapped away derisively.  
  
"Back off!" Buttercup exclaimed. Without warning Blossom was sent hurtling backward, being shoved through the sandy beach, practically burying her. She finally managed to dig her way out, coughing and sputtering.  
  
"Buttercup please!" Bubbles exclaimed tearfully.  
  
"I don't need you anymore, or your stupid useless powers!" Buttercup screamed, her eyes flashing even brighter red. Bubbles felt a strange force pushing down on her, impaling her into the sand like a spike.  
  
"Agh! Blossom!" Bubbles tried to fight the force, digging and clawing at the sand, but finally her head was forced under. She could feel herself being shoved even further down through the sand, despite her best efforts to dig herself back out. Finally the force subsided, but she was left buried under what might have been miles of sand. She couldn't move, see, or even breathe. She was strong, but not THAT strong. She could feel her fear taking hold, sending her into a panic.  
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"Bubbles!" Blossom screamed, running over to the spot where her blonde sister had been moments before. Buttercup was laughing uproariously, holding her stomach like she was about to bust a gut. "Buttercup! How could you do this!? What's the matter with you!?" She demanded, whirling on her brunette sister. Del Lirious behind her smirked and waggled one finger at her.  
  
Del Lirious for some reason looked under the weather, pale and drawn. His skin was pulled tight over brittle bones, not at all like the strapping young man who'd performed just over a month ago. "This is only the beginning, a test run. And now that I see she's ready, there's only one thing left to do. Buttercup, if you would." He said. Buttercup looked up at him and nodded. Suddenly they both vanished, kicking up a cloud of dust where they'd stood moments before.  
  
Blossom turned back to her other sister quickly. "Bubbles! Where are you!" She whirled her arms vertically like two high-powered shovels, plunging into the sand. Sand flew through the air like a volcano was erupting, but she didn't care. She just kept digging, as fast as she could. "I'm coming Bubbles! Hold on!" She exclaimed.  
  
Suddenly she felt the ground shuddering. "Bubbles! I'm almost there!" Blossom told her, redoubling her efforts. But she was already far underground, and she threatened to run into the ocean if she went to the side to far, plus the sand kept sliding back down into the hole she was making, slowing her down. "Bubbles!"  
  
Suddenly the sand beneath her surged upward and a blue flash of light burst up with a loud gasp for breath. Bubbles collapsed to her hands and knees, panting heavily. Blossom kneeled down beside her. "Bubbles! Are you okay?" She patted her sisters' back, giving her a minute to catch her breath.  
  
"I'm... okay..." Bubbles replied softly, shaking sand out of her golden hair. "What about... Buttercup? What's wrong with her?" She asked, looking Blossom in the eyes. She didn't know how to reply to that, she had no idea what was wrong with Buttercup. There was no way she could know... but they had to find a way to bring her back.  
  
The flight back home was long, with Blossom half-carrying Bubbles since she was still weak after her adrenaline rush had busted her free from the sand. When they got there they found the Professor, Mike, and Robin all staring at the TV in stunned silence.  
  
"What's going on?" Blossom asked. They all looked over at the girls in unison, then looked back at the TV. Blossom and Bubbles looked to see Buttercup standing on top of the Town Hall, staring down at a line of police cruisers with a disgusted smirk on her face. She wasn't doing anything, just staring down at them. Though there were several ruined buildings around her, indicating they'd missed most of the action.  
  
"I don't get it... why would Buttercup do this?" Bubbles asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why would she attack us and then attack Townsville?"  
  
"Why don't we ask Del Lirious?" Blossom asked, remembering his words at the beach. He'd taken her and done something to her, she was sure of it. Buttercup would never do this on her own. Someone must have made her do it.  
  
"Del... who?" Robin asked confusedly.  
  
"Del Lirious, he was a new magician we went to see but we think he's brainwashed Buttercup!" Bubbles informed her and Mike importantly. "He said he was from Citiesville."  
  
"What? But I came from Citiesville and I've never heard of him." Robin replied. The others all stared at her blankly. "Can I use your computer Professor?" She asked politely.  
  
"Absolutely." They all marched over to the computer in the corner where Robin sat down, logging online and doing a search through Citiesville's citizenship list. Del Lirious wasn't anywhere to be found.  
  
"See? There IS no Del Lirious... but there was a magician who was close. If I can just remember his name..." She tapped away at the keyboard determinedly, sticking her tongue out in concentration. The others all watched, half amazed that she was right and half amazed that she was so skilled with a computer. Kids these days, they could learn anything.  
  
"I found it!" Robin exclaimed triumphantly. A single name came up on the screen, making Bubbles and Blossoms' eyes go wide.  
  
"Del Lusion!?" They exclaimed in unison. Robin looked back at them curiously, as did Mike.  
  
"Robin, can you show us his family tree?" Blossom asked. Robin nodded and turned back to the screen, bringing up a family history. As expected, there was a familiar name typed in the Grandfather's position. "Al Lusions grandson. THAT'S why he took Buttercup! How better to get revenge for his grandfathers demise on the city that killed him than through the cities own protector?"  
  
"But how did he make her so powerful? People can't do REAL magic can they? Unless they're magical zombies I mean." Bubbles pointed out.  
  
"I don't know Bubbles... but a better question is how did he convince Buttercup to help him?" The Professor asked, looking around at the gathered group of kids. None of them had a real answer, they didn't know Buttercup to do anything evil. The only possibility was some kind of mind control.  
  
"Enough talk." Blossom commanded, turning around to face the door. "It's time to put a stop to this before it gets any worse. Come on Bubbles! Let's go!" They both streaked out of the building, heading toward the City Hall where Buttercup was still holding the police at bay or no apparent reason. Obviously something was going on inside...  
  
Blossom and Bubbles tried to approach from the back, but they slammed into something without warning, nearly sending them tumbling down to the ground with grunts of pain. "A... shield?" Bubbles exclaimed. Blossom punched the invisible barrier as hard as she could, but the force didn't give in in the slightest. Obviously, force wasn't an option.  
  
"One of us has to distract Buttercup somehow while the other sneaks in." Blossom said softly, looking at Bubbles. "I'm counting on you Bubbles, get in there and put a stop to Del Lusion by any means necessary." Bubbles set her mouth in a grim line and nodded. Blossom nodded back, then flew around to the front, staring down at Buttercup. Now how to distract her. Physical attacks wouldn't work... but an attack in the one place Buttercup couldn't stand to be attacked might. Her ego.  
  
"Yo, musclehead! Up here!" Blossom shouted. Buttercups eyes snapped open, staring up at her hatefully. "Yeah ya stooge, what do you think you're doing serving some lunatic? Some Powerpuff Girl you are!" Buttercup sneered, clenching her fists tightly. "All this power you think you have, but you STILL don't have your own Powerpuff Power! You'll always be a step behind!" That did it. Buttercup growled and let the shield drop, lunging for Blossom.  
  
Blossom lunged to the side just in time to avoid a power surge that could have torn her limb from limb, but instead settled for leveling three building directly behind her when it missed. Blossom fired her eye lasers, but they were redirected down at the ground, where several cops had to scramble out of the way. Clearly, Blossom was outmatched in a head-on fight. There had to be another way to fight then.  
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Bubbles streaked around the back while Blossom engaged Buttercup in a mid-air battle, bursting in through the back of the Mayors office. She broke in to find Del Lusion slumped down in the Mayors seat, with the Mayor and Miss Bellum tied up in a corner of the room. He didn't seem to be moving, or giving any response at all.  
  
"Bubbles!" Miss Bellum exclaimed happily. "Come get us out of here!" Bubbles streaked over and quickly untied them, letting the rope fall to the ground.  
  
"Thank you Bubbles, I think you deserve a candy..." The Mayor began.  
  
"Not now Mayor!" Miss Bellum grabbed his hand and left the Mayors office, leaving Bubbles alone with the inept form of Del Lusion, hiding behind the back of the chair.  
  
Bubbles floated over to him slowly, calling out. "Okay Del Lusion... the game's over. Give up and come in quietly or we'll have to kick your butt and then take you in." She tried to sound threatening, but it was hard to do with her high squeaky voice. She could see a subtle movement from the other side of the chair as the figure lifted its head.  
  
"The abyss waits for you... girl..." Bubbles shivered in recognition, taking a step back. The chair turned slowly, to reveal that Del Lirious' face was stretched taught, a gaping hole in his cheek revealing the pearl white bone. "As it called to me once." He stood up, his long, bony hands clenching and unclenching reflexively. Bubbles stumbled back against the wall, having nowhere else to go.  
  
"A... Al... Lusion...?" She asked fearfully. The former body of Del Lusion gave a wide, evil grin.  
  
"You remember me... good. So I won't have to tell you my reasons for wanting you all to join me in the abyss." He took a step toward her, raising one hand. "I have returned... alive again. But my body is decaying to match my soul..." He said.  
  
"But your son... Del Lusion..." Bubbles asked confusedly.  
  
"A sacrifice." Al replied with a sneer. "His body will remain inert for the rest of eternity while I take a more... powerful body. All I needed was to take complete control over this body before I moved, and that your sister never thought to reject me. Very soon... I'll be able to take her." Even as he spoke a clump of hair fell off Del Lusions one full-headed scalp, fluttering to the floor.  
  
"Buttercup... you made Buttercup bad so you could steal her body! And you gave her those powers so you could still do your magic!" Bubbles exclaimed. Al Lusion let out a barking laugh.  
  
"My magic? Oh no... after watching you from the void I realized your full potential. Time travel... dream jumping... power surges... your powers extend far beyond physical. I gave her nothing. I just trained her body so I would have access to her power, which is greater than mine ever was." He laughed and spread his arms out to the side, his hands glowing with a familiar aura. "As for being bad... well it didn't take much effort. Just a single seed. Funny, isn't it? Your greatest villain is your own sister."  
  
Without warning Bubbles felt chains wrap around her wrists, pinning her to the wall directly behind her. She pulled at them as hard as she could, but she couldn't break free. She whimpered when a long blade appeared in Al Lusions hand, with the former zombie grinning ear to ear.  
  
"For your final act..." He raised the sword over his head. "Becoming two people." He brought the sword down in a silver arc.  
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Blossom whirled to avoid another blast, lashing out with one leg to kick her sister across the face, sending her spinning through the air. Buttercup, growled and lunged again, forgoing her new powers for a more traditional assault. Blossom managed to block or dodge each blow, but she couldn't find any opening to get in an attack of her own. Finally she lunged back and took a deep breath, exhaling a deep blue mist toward Buttercup.  
  
Buttercup put her arms out, a barely perceptible field covering her, protecting her from the approaching ice storm. But the ice instead covered the shield, encasing Buttercup in a large bubble of ice even after her shield had gone down.  
  
"Smooth move Butterball." Blossom smirked. Buttercup screamed angrily, the force of the scream tearing the ice apart before she lunged at Blossom again, newly freed. The battle commenced again, with Buttercup swinging wildly, but without leaving herself open to any counterattacks. Blossom floated back and inhaled again, but this time Buttercup lunged forward, bringing her leg up in a powerful kick. The blow sent Blossom hurtling back into a nearby building, landing on a couch.  
  
"Ugh..." She mumbled, pushing herself up. She saw several kids huddled across the room, staring at her confusedly. "Sorry about that... oof!" Without warning Buttercup streaked in after her, slamming into her and sending them both through the floor. The couch split in half as they fell through the floor, the debris from the building floating down around them as they hit the ground in the apartment just below that one.  
  
Blossom kicked her sister as hard as she could from her less than desirable position, jumping to her feet. She took a deep breath and let out a blue fog, freezing everything in the room, but Buttercup was nowhere to be found. "Where did you go?" Blossom demanded, floating across the room to look for her brunette sister.  
  
Suddenly Buttercup burst through the ice on the floor, grabbing her and hurtling her toward the wall again. Blossom broke through into the open air, falling down to the ground, too dazed and stunned to take flight again. She inhaled and let out a long breath, the frozen cloud freezing the air around her into a large solid block of ice with one end lower than the other. It slammed into the ground, absorbing most of the impact before Blossom hit the ice below her, sliding down at an angle until she hit the bottom.  
  
"I can't beat her..." Blossom mused, trying to figure out a plan since she had a moment to herself with the ice as a protective shield. "Her new powers are too strong, and she isn't any less proficient with her physical attacks than before." She sat up, looking up at the ice that separated her from her sister. "This is my only advantage... if I could just freeze her she wouldn't be able to break out..."  
  
She gasped when the top of her protective dome shattered inward, a shimmering force coming down like a bullet right on top of her.  
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Bubbles' feet shot up, closing around the blade before it could slice her in half. She grunted, trying to keep it back while her zombifying opponent tried to push it down on top of her. She opened her eyes wide, crimson beams flashing as she fired her X-Ray vision into her opponents chest, sending him back down to the ground. The sword flew free, coming down on Al Lusions arm, severing it at the elbow.  
  
"You think you can defeat me again?" Al Lusion snarled, standing up with his one good arm. The severed arm on the ground writhed and stood up on its fingers, jumping back up to reattach itself to his arm. Bubbles meanwhile had time to beat the wall behind her down by hitting it with the back of her head. It hurt. But she was far better off free than still chained to the wall.  
  
"I'm not giving up!" Bubbles shot back, though she didn't feel nearly as confident as she tried to sound. He nearly defeated all three girls before, how was she supposed to beat him alone? "You may be a scary zombie again, but we beat you once! We can do it again!" She told him.  
  
"Then let me become more than a scary zombie." Al Lusion grinned, looking up at the ceiling. He raised one hand and a saw appeared, cutting a hole in the roof. Before Bubbles realized what he was doing he jumped up through the hole, looking out across the city at the battlefield between the other two Powerpuff Girls. Bubbles streaked up after him, diving at his back.  
  
"Oh no you don't! Leave Buttercup alone!" She kicked him in the back, breaking his spine and sending the two halve of his body flying to the roof. Bubbles felt like she was about to throw up, but she didn't have much time to be disgusted. Al Lusion looked at her, raising one hand.  
  
She screamed when a rabbit lunged at her, its pink nose and long white ears twitching cutely. She grabbed it, hugging it close. "Bunny rabbit!" She screamed in delight, hugging the creature lovingly. Al Lusion had time to pull himself back together before she realized his ploy. "Hold on Mr. Bunny." She put the rabbit down and whirled on Al Lusion again.  
  
Al Lusion grinned, snapping his fingers. Bubbles just stared at him blankly until something clamped around her waist from behind, squeezing tight enough to puncture her waist. "Aaaagh!" Bubbles screamed in pain as the large, vicious rabbit hefted her into the air, its jaws clenching as tight as they could. She could feel its teeth biting in deeper with each passing moment. "BLOSSOM!" Bubbles screamed, feeling her strength beginning to leave her.  
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The shimmering force slammed into the leader of the Powerpuff Girls, tearing the ice block apart and digging her back down into the paved road painfully. Blossom let out a sharp cry of pain, but tried not to let her weakness be too obvious. She couldn't even inhale enough to create her Ice Breath, the invisible force squeezing her stomach tightly.  
  
It wrapped around her, holding her fast and hefting her out of the ice and gravel rubble, bringing her up to meet Buttercup face to face again in midair. Blossom hung limply in front of her, trapped by this power Buttercup had somehow learned over the last month.  
  
"Look who has the newest power now." Buttercup smirked victoriously, the force squeezing a little tighter over Blossom body, pushing her in on herself. "You girls are nothing now, your Ice Breath and your stupid voice mean nothing!" She exclaimed, grinning.  
  
"Maybe..." Blossom managed to grab enough breath to speak softly. "But at least... our lives... still mean something..." Her gaze met Buttercups, their eyes locking together. Buttercup growled under her breath. Suddenly her hand snapped out, grabbing Blossom by the throat.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, oh great leader?" Buttercup demanded angrily, squeezing her throat tighter.  
  
"You... serve evil..." Blossom couldn't help the tears that slipped out of her eyes, running down her cheeks and onto Buttercup's arm. "H... he did something... please... Buttercup... we love you..." She gasped, trying to wrestle away from the force that held her and Buttercup's iron grip. The brunette Powerpuff Girl just stared at her coldly.  
  
"BLOSSOM!" A piercing scream interrupted them, drawing both of their attention. Buttercup's grip eased as she turned to see what was going on. Blossom panted, looking in the same direction before she gasped.   
  
"Bubbles!" Blossom yelled, seeing her on the roof of the City Hall in the jaws of a giant rabbit looking monster. "Bubbles no..." Blossom looked back at Buttercup desperately, who was watching the scene below them with a blank expression. "Buttercup please! Bubbles will..." She trailed off, her eyes brimming over again. She closed her eyes, speaking softly. "She'll die..."  
  
"Buttercup." Del Lirious looked up at them, but his body looked decayed and decrepit almost beyond recognition. Blossom stared at him in surprise, but Buttercup didn't look phased, locking eyes with him as coldly as she'd watched Bubbles struggle with the rabbit. "Come here." He gestured her closer with one hand.  
  
Blossom silently hoped Buttercup would refuse, but instead she floated down to look him in the eyes. He took her head in his hands, staring into her eyes, but suddenly she closed them. "Open your eyes." He instructed her softly. Buttercup seemed to ignore him however, floating there with her eyes closed.  
  
Without warning the force holding Blossom in place vanished. As she stumbled in the air to catch herself something slammed into Del Lirious, sending him flying back into the rabbit monster, which lost its grip on Bubbles. The blonde puff fell to the roof, gasping in pain and holding her stomach, trying to stem the slight flow of blood from the puncture wounds.  
  
"Buttercup, what are you doing?" Del Lirious demanded as he pushed himself to his feet. Buttercup opened her eyes, staring at him with her hands clenched into fists. A bright aura surrounded them, pulsing in time with Buttercup's heartbeat.  
  
"I'm... not... evil..." Buttercup growled, bringing her hands forward. "I don't serve evil... I don't hurt people... and nobody hurts my sisters!" The power surged forward in a brilliant wave, engulfing both the magician and his pet rabbit in the blink of an eye. The rabbit was vaporized, but Del Lirious' hands glowed brightly, holding the brilliant wave away from him, though only a few inches away.  
  
"I awakened your power... it's mine by right!" He screamed furiously. Bubbles pushed herself up to her feet, squinting through the pain of her wounds.  
  
"The only right YOU have Al Lusion... is the right to go away and leave us alone!" Bubbles screamed angrily. Blossom looked at her in surprise. Al Lusion himself? That explained where his powers came from, no human could have powers like that. At least none she'd ever met.  
  
"Nooo!" Al Lusion screamed, struggling just to hold his shield up against Buttercups wave of energy.  
  
"You heard the girl you undead freak, back to Hell with you!" Buttercup shouted, the power coming from her hands doubling in intensity. This new wave punched through the shield easily, slamming into Al Lusions body with enough force to send him flying backward. His body disintegrated into a pinpoint of light before he even hit the roof, vanishing from existence like a ghost disappearing into the night.  
  
Buttercup lowered her hands, her power subsiding. Blossom streaked down to help Bubbles stand up straighter, though she groaned in pain from the wounds inflicted by the deranged rabbit. Buttercup turned to look at her sisters, then looked down at the roof and removed the black magicians cloak, letting it flutter in the wind to land on the street far below.  
  
None of them said a thing, none of them had to. Each knew what the others were thinking. Forgiveness was asked for and given without need of words. This wasn't the telepathy of the Powerpuff Girls however, just the silent understanding of a siblings love.  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
A few hours later the Utonium Family was gathered in their living room with Robin and Mike standing by. Everyone was crowded around Buttercup, who was busily explaining everything she'd done over the course of the last month. From Del Lirious' offer to teach her to harness her full powers to his declaration that her sisters were to blame for her powers not surfacing until now.  
  
"Wow, Buttercup... so you still have all those new powers and stuff?" Robin asked curiously.  
  
"I don't know... after whatever influence he put inside me disappeared I kind of forgot how to use them." Buttercup replied sheepishly.  
  
"It's for the best I guess. That kind of power would make things too easy wouldn't it?" Blossom nudged her sister in the ribs with her elbow. The others all laughed lightheartedly for the first time in a month.  
  
"Yeah, who needs psychic crap when I have brute muscle?" Buttercup proclaimed, raising one arm to flex her bicep for all to see. "I'm still the strongest Powerpuff Girl of all!"  
  
"Yeah yeah don't remind me." Blossom grumbled, rubbing her chin where Buttercup had kicked her during the fight. Everyone laughed again, but soon the day gave way to dusk and the sun turned a golden hue, telling the two guests that they would have to make their way home now.  
  
"We'll take you home, don't want you wandering around after dark." Blossom offered. The guests agreed, so Blossom and Bubbles picked up each kid and streaked off to deliver them to their houses... even though Robin's was right next door.  
  
"Well I guess I'll go get dinner started... are you sure you're feeling all right Buttercup?" The Professor asked her for the tenth time.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be okay." Buttercup replied. The Professor smiled and ruffled her hair before he went into the kitchen, leaving her alone. Buttercup smiled and reached for the remote, which practically jumped off of the coffee table by itself to reach her outstretched hand. She smiled as she flipped through the TV channels. She didn't need these powers... but they did come in handy every now and again.  
  
The End 


End file.
